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Biomedical subjects

Rona F Levin

Publications and source records attributed to Rona F Levin.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Evidence for smoking cessation: Implications for gender-specific strategies.

BACKGROUND: Facilitating smoking cessation requires an evidence-based approach. The Lienhard School of Nursing Institute for Healthy Aging in the United States, whose focus is providing health information to aging baby boomers, developed an interest in studying strategies for smoking cessation in women. APPROACH: Studies were reviewed and critiqued related to the question: What is the relative efficacy of first-line smoking cessation interventions for women versus men in the 40- to 65-year-old age group? This article first discusses the procedure used to construct an integrative framework for finding the evidence on smoking cessation, including a literature search and refinement of the problem to be studied, and then a summary of the evidence gathered on the selected variable (gender) and interventions (counseling, pharmacotherapy, nicotine replacement therapy). FINDINGS: Evidence was found that supports the general efficacy of three first-line smoking cessation interventions: counseling, bupropion-sustained release (BSR), and nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). What the evidence does not show, however, is which of these interventions may be more effective for women versus men in general or specifically in the 40- to 65-year-old age group. RECOMMENDATIONS: Recommendations include the development of a clinical trial and the inclusion from the outset of gender as a major variable in all future intervention studies. IMPLICATIONS: Practice implications include the fact that since effective treatments already exist for assisting clients to stop smoking, all health-care providers should offer an intervention that has been found effective to any client who expresses a desire to quit smoking. Further studies of efficacy are needed to develop more focused implications.

Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Improving diagnostic accuracy using an evidence-based nursing model.

PURPOSE: To propose an evidence-based model (EBM) to improve diagnostic accuracy in nursing. DATA SOURCES: Published literature, experience, and expertise of authors. DATA SYNTHESIS: Using an EBM directs clinicians on how to use the best available evidence from the literature to determine the best fit between cues and diagnoses, integrate this evidence with clinician expertise and patient preferences, and conduct a self-evaluation of the process. CONCLUSIONS: Use of an EBM to teach nurses how to ask relevant diagnostic questions and provide a framework for nurse educators to teach evidenced-based practice may lead to developing more competent diagnosticians and improving diagnostic accuracy in nursing.

Clinical Competence↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Gender's effect on the efficacy of smoking cessation interventions.

Evidence-based guidelines and subsequent studies support the effectiveness of counselling and pharmacotherapy as first-line smoking cessation interventions. Gender is one of many factors that may have an impact on the efficacy of smoking cessation interventions. There is only very limited evidence, however, to answer the question of how gender influences the effectiveness of smoking cessation interventions. Research does suggest that concern about weight gain is related to women's confidence in their ability to stop smoking and this should be kept in mind when designing interventions. In the meantime, any client who indicates a desire to stop smoking should be offered one of the smoking cessation interventions that are already available.

Evidence-Based Medicine↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Designing a statewide agenda for nursing research.

This article describes the background, development, and beginning implementation of a nursing research action plan for New York state. Working together over the past two years and building on past collaborative efforts, the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) and the Foundation of the NYSNA created an agenda for nursing research in New York state. The agenda contains five major goals, subgoals, an action plan for achieving these goals, and desired outcomes. Several implementation activities, including initiation of Web-based activities, strategies to bring research to the clinical nurse, and the development of a proposal to create evidence-based practice teams, are under way. The process of agenda development may serve as a model for other associations or organizations.

Data Collection↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Strategies for advancing evidence-based practice in clinical settings.

Evidence-based practice (EBP) is a problem-solving approach that incorporates the best available scientific evidence, clinicians' expertise, and patients' preferences and values. Melnyk and Fineout-Overholt have developed the ARCC (Advancing Research and Clinical practice through close Collaboration) model for the purpose of implementing EBP. A pilot study was conducted to test the ARCC model at two acute-care sites. This article shares information learned from the pilot study about what is necessary for successful implementation of EBP in the acute-care setting. These essentials include identifying EBP champions, redefining nurses' roles to include EBP activities, allocating time and money to the EBP process, and creating an organizational culture that fosters EBP. In addition, practical strategies for implementing EBP are presented to encourage implementation of EBP.

Academic Medical Centers↗